Opinion If “pothole politics” is about fixing what people experience in their daily lives, then cultural funding should follow the same logic: steady, predictable, and built to last. May 27, 2026 — 3 min read A field trip the Museum of the City of New York (all photo Filip Wolak, courtesy MCNY) New Yorkers understand something simple: when the basics work, the city works. When they don’t, people notice immediately. That’s the premise behind what Mayor Zohran K. Mamdani has rightly called “ pothole politics ”: the idea that government earns trust not through rhetoric, but through consistent attention to the systems people rely on every day. It’s about fixing what’s visible, what’s used, and what shapes daily life. Culture belongs squarely in that category. What may not always be visible is the full depth of the cultural sector’s reach across all five boroughs; its work with artists, educators, community organizations, and neighborhoods citywide.…